If you like cacti, there are many varieties from which to choose to give a different touch anywhere, whether on the inside of the home or in a garden, terrace or patio. Today I would like to write about the star cactus, which has its origin in Mexico and is the largest of all those belonging to the Astrophytum family.
Its stem is spherical in its early years but as it grows it becomes columnar. The largest wild specimens can reach one meter in height and about 30 centimeters in diameter, although in normal cultivation it does not usually grow beyond 30 cm in height. The areoles are separated and have between 5 and 11 spines, both straight and acute, which are brown in color and with a length that can reach 3 cm.
Your cares
- Lighting : if you are outdoors, you will need to be in full sun, while if you are indoors you will need a well-lit place. Shade is good for the hours when the sun is strongest.
- Temperature : it does not have many requirements in this regard, although it is tolerated by cold only if the environment is dry.
- Substrate : needs to be well drained. To make it much more beneficial and for the cactus to develop better, add 25% coarse sand to the standard substrate.
- Irrigation : this cactus needs little water, even less than the other varieties. The neck can rot very easily, so water little and in the outer part so that the water does not reach that area. Water only when the soil has completely dried out.
- Multiplication : the most common way to do it is through seeds in seedbeds.
Cultivation and care of the star cactus
